of age

of age — 慣用語

1. old enough by law to do something such as vote, marry, or buy alcohol; or having

1.慣用語B1
釋義

成年；已存在

達到法律允許的年齡；存在了某段時間

old enough by law to do something such as vote, marry, or buy alcohol; or having existed for a particular number of years.

例句

Defne will be of age next month, so she can finally vote in the election.

Defne 下個月就成年了，她終於可以在選舉中投票。

be of age — reaching legal adulthood

In most countries you must be of age before you can sign a legal contract.

在大多數國家，你必須到達法定年齡才能簽署法律合約。

同義詞
  • old enough

    more conversational and informal; used in everyday speech instead of the semi-legal 'of age'

  • of legal age

    more formal; emphasises the legal requirement rather than just the age

  • adult

    broader in meaning; describes the general status of being grown-up, not a specific legal threshold

反義詞
  • underage

    the direct opposite — below the minimum legal age for a given activity

  • minor

    a legal term for someone who has not yet reached the age of adulthood

文法句型

be of age

come of age

[noun] of age [number]

用法筆記

When referring to people, 'of age' almost always means the minimum legal age set by law for a specific activity. For things and traditions, it simply states how long they have existed. The most common pattern is 'be of age'; 'come of age' is a separate idiom meaning 'reach adulthood'.

常見錯誤

❌She came of age to drive.
✅She was of age to drive.
💡'come of age' is a fixed idiom that means 'reach adulthood' generally, not 'reach the legal age for a specific activity.'